Growing national attention is focused on issues of access, cost and safety related to pharmaceuticals and medication management.  Generic substitution has been a primary approach to maintaining patient access to affordable medication while lowering the rate of increase in brand drug costs.  These savings are being offset by increases in the availability of high costs specialty drugs, many of which have not been clearly demonstrated to have a measurable advantage to lower cost alternatives.  Medication safety issues also arise from the increased number and variety of drugs and potential risk of adverse drug reactions.

The Collaborative’s work in the area of pharmaceuticals focuses on the following issues and opportunities.

• The promotion of bioequivalent generic drugs among consumers and providers.
• Increasing medication safety through the development of electronic prescribing as part of the Collaborative’s plans for a communitywide electronic clinical information system.
• Analyzing and developing a mechanism to promote best practice alternatives in the use of high cost specialty drugs among providers.

Articles and other resources related to pharmaceutical economics capacity are available in the resources section of this web site.